By arresting people, they are trying to push through their “Aliyev constitution”: Mesrop Manukyan

This government’s handwriting is so simple and primitive: as soon as any event takes place, specific law enforcement bodies take action the very next day, Mesrop Manukyan, an MP from the Armenia faction, told journalists outside the building of the Investigative Department for Economic Affairs, commenting on the detention of Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the Strong Armenia party.

“We saw the same thing in the cases of Robert Kocharyan and Sedrak Kocharyan. This has nothing to do with legal proceedings,” he added.

Referring to the charges brought against Samvel Karapetyan and the claims that Electric Networks of Armenia suffered damage of 64 billion drams, the MP called them absurd.

“As an economist, I am trying to make sense of this brand of absurdity. They say ENA suffered damage of 64 billion drams. But Samvel Karapetyan is the owner of ENA. In that case, should he be the victim or the accused? Following some incomprehensible logic, they are trying to claim that he influenced the electricity tariff so that they can bring charges. Meanwhile, from 2016 to this day, ENA has regularly submitted reports to the Public Services Regulatory Commission, eight years of which have been under this very government. So what were you doing all that time?” he said.

Mesrop Manukyan also expressed his conviction that the mass detentions and arrests carried out as part of the case are aimed at putting pressure on people.

“I am convinced that people are being arrested in order to intimidate and frighten them and to extract false testimony against Samvel Karapetyan. I will say it very bluntly: this is outright political pressure. By arresting people and depriving them of their liberty, they are trying to push through their ‘Aliyev constitution’,” the MP concluded.